Urban parks through people’s new lens: Opportunities behind COVID-19 for public spaces’ policies in Costa Rica

Abstract

The lockdown and restrictions during the last COVID-19 health crisis confronted the population with an unprecedented situation for urban life. Green areas, mainly large urban parks, become highly valued spaces during and even after the pandemic. This work shows the visitation patterns of users from three large urban parks within the Greater Metropolitan Area of Costa Rica (GAM). The research is based on 8575 in situ surveys carried out between January and August 2023; our team also conducted an exploratory study between 2018 and 2019 (prepandemic), which was resumed to compare some aspects before and after the pandemic. The findings allow to explore challenges in public policies to improve access and enjoyment of urban recreational spaces in Costa Rica, replicable in other parts of the world.